If you are curious about spider mites, look no further. In this lesson, we take a close up look at the life cycle and predators of the spider mite. Read on to learn more.

What are Spider Mites?

Spider mites are tiny members of the arachnid family. Many gardeners know them as pests and will work hard to keep them out of the garden and off plants. If they do end up in a garden, spider mites are usually found on the bottom of leaves where they wreak havoc by slurping up their liquid. Let's take a closer look at the spider mite.

Life Cycle

Spider mites start life as tiny eggs. These eggs are translucent (see-through) when they are first deposited. Slowly, they become a whitish opaque (not see through) color as they mature. The time spans for each developmental stage vary between species. Temperature can also have an effect on the time of the stages. In warmer climates, mites will develop faster. On average, eggs usually hatch after three days of being deposited.

Adult spider mite

Larva

The next phase in the spider mite life cycle is the larval stage. Once the spider mites hatch, they emerge with six legs and no color. Depending on the species and temperature, this stage can last a few days or up to a week. The spider mite does not consume much food at larval stage.

Nymph

After the larva has finished developing, they grow two extra legs and become nymphs. During this phase, the spider mite cannot yet reproduce. There are two phases within the nymph phase: protonymph and deutonymph. The protonymph is slightly larger than the larva, and they consume more food at this stage. Next, they develop into the deutonymph where they once again increase in size and consume more food.

Adult

Finally, the moment all adolescents wait for, the spider mite becomes an adult. At this point, the mite is allowed to vote, drink, and move out of its parents house. Okay, maybe not all of that. But the mites do develop into adults after the nymph stage, and this means they are sexually mature and can reproduce.

Females are slightly larger than males, and both have eight legs. The female spider mite can lay between 50 and 100 eggs during her lifetime. This explains how and why they can quickly take over a plant.

Predators

Many insects can develop immunity against insecticides. The spider mite is no different. In order to help control the population of spider mites, many farmers introduce natural predators into their crops. These predators often eat spider mites and in turn protect the farmer's crops.

One such enemy is called the western predatory mite. These are about the same size as the spider mite, but they are faster and have longer legs. Another awesomely named predator of the spider mite is the minute pirate bug. The minute pirate bug is between two and five millimeters long, and they eat both mites and mite eggs.

Lesson Summary

Spider mites consume plants and are pests to gardeners. Spider mites develop from an egg into larva, nymphsm and then sexually mature adults. In order to keep the spider mite population under control, farmers introduce natural predators into their crops such as the western predatory mite and the minute pirate bug.

Summary:

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